How long do I have to contribute to social security before I can be reimbursed for hospitalization?

If you are joining the basic medical insurance for the first time, you need to have paid the contributions for 6 consecutive months before you can enjoy the hospitalization reimbursement, that is, it will take 6 months before you can take effect. However, in the case of general outpatient care, the medical insurance benefits can be effective from the month following the month of payment.

First-time enrolment

If you are enrolled for the first time, you can only be reimbursed after you have generated a contribution record and applied for a social security card. Social security cards are usually applied for by the organization, and if the organization fails to apply for a social security card for you so that you can't be reimbursed for your medical expenses, the organization should be responsible for the costs incurred.

Subsequent payments

If your health insurance is renewed after a break in payments, if the break is within three months, you can continue to enjoy your health insurance benefits the next month after renewing your health insurance; if the break is more than three months, you need to pay for six consecutive months before you can enjoy your health insurance benefits again.

Generally, the employee's basic medical insurance paid by the company on behalf of the payment of contributions in the same month, the next month will begin to take effect. Individuals who participate in the Employee Basic Medical Insurance as flexible employees can be reimbursed for a portion of their outpatient expenses, but it takes six months for hospitalization expenses to be reimbursed by the medical insurance.

If you are enrolled in a resident's health insurance or a rural health insurance that pays yearly, you will be insured for one year, and if you are already enrolled in this type of health insurance, you will be able to reimburse the hospital for your medical expenses directly.

Medicare reimbursements are made on a sliding scale, with different reimbursement rates for different levels of hospitalization.

Employers and their employees pay the full amount of contributions for the month, and the insured person is entitled to employee medical insurance benefits the following month. Flexible employment personnel to participate in the employee health insurance for the first time, after three months of continuous contributions to enjoy the provisions of the employee health insurance benefits. An insured employee who has terminated the labor relationship with the employer or an insured person who has received unemployment insurance benefits for a period of time can participate in the employee medical insurance as a flexibly employed person, and enjoys the employee medical insurance benefits from the month following the month of contribution.

Employee medical insurance premiums are paid by both the employer and the employee***. The insured employee shall take his/her average monthly salary income of the previous year as his/her monthly contribution base for employee medical insurance premiums, with a contribution rate of 2%; the employer shall take the sum of the monthly contribution bases of all the insured employees as his/her monthly contribution base for employee medical insurance premiums, with a contribution rate of 8%.

Legal basis: The Social Insurance Law of the People's Republic of China

Article 23 Employees shall participate in the basic medical insurance for employees, and shall pay the basic medical insurance premiums by the employing organization and the employees in accordance with the provisions of the State***. Individual industrial and commercial households without employees, part-time workers who do not participate in the basic medical insurance for employees in their employing units, and other flexibly employed persons may participate in the basic medical insurance for employees, and individuals shall pay the basic medical insurance premiums in accordance with the State regulations.

Article 25 The State establishes and improves the basic medical insurance system for urban residents. Basic medical insurance for urban residents is a combination of individual contributions and government subsidies. The government shall subsidize the portion of individual contributions required by people enjoying the minimum subsistence guarantee, persons with disabilities who have lost their ability to work, and elderly people and minors over sixty years of age from low-income families.